With the first half of the season gone and the second half about to approach us, one can only wonder who will prevail as champions of the BFA Premier Division.

With Boulevard, PHC, Dandy Town, Cougars and Village all within four points of each other, the league is wide open.

At the other end of the spectrum who will be the two teams to take the drop? Who will conquer the battle for survival? There is much to play for, which sets us up for an exciting second half of the season.

At the top of the table, Boulevard have a one point lead over Devonshire Cougars and PHC with Town and Village chasing close behind.

At one period Boulevard looked like they would run away with the league but some uncharacteristic performances proved costly and opened the title race wide open again. Lack of training and coaching concerns also proved costly, thus showing that talent can only take you so far, but commitment and dedication is what's needed to be champions.

PHC have quietly gone about their business, putting together a string of wins to put themselves in a very good position to make a run for the title.

Had it not been for a loss against Devonshire Colts, PHC would be sitting on top of the table. One thing we do know is that PHC have the endurance to go all the way. The big question is do they have enough goalscoring talent, an element that has been a thorn in their side in previous seasons.

Devonshire Cougars have surprised many with their consistency, but not me.

Cougars display that never-say-die attitude. They have a belief system that empowers them through the tough times.

Key man Kwame Steede had a relatively quiet first half to the season by his standards. This was probably due to the added pressures of coaching but now that he has a sound backroom staff we can expect him to step his game up, which in all likelihood will make Cougars serious contenders for the title.

Dandy Town possess the most potent attack in the league but the question is can their defence step their game up? If they can learn to defend better as a team they will no doubt win the title outright.

Raymond Beach, Hayes Wolfe and Nahki Wells form an awesome threesome and can pry any defence open. It has been a while since Dandy Town have been league champions and their hunger for success should drive them on.

North Village for years have been dominant and are always challenging for the title. This year, however, I feel they will come up just short as they are in the rebuilding stages. Village have done well to stay in the title race and had it not been for a surprising loss against Somerset Eagles, they would have been right in the hunt.

Key player Ralph Bean has been relatively quiet in the first half of the season. If Village are to realistically have a chance of pulling off a shock league title, Bean will have to perform at his best with his finishing touch.

Southampton Rangers and Somerset Eagles seem to be playing well enough to avoid the drop and will more than likely be mid-table teams. Both have improved greatly and are capable of causing upsets. These two teams will have a say as to who wins the league title as well as who gets relegated.

Devonshire Colts will battle with Somerset to avoid relegation. One of these two teams will get relegated as they both have been inconsistent.

Colts started extremely slowly but came on in the end with a memorable win against PHC.

Somerset started brightly but the wheels have somewhat fallen off the bandwagon. The big question here is which team can put together a few wins to enhance their chances of survival.

Lastly, Hamilton Parish look doomed for relegation but their fate lies in their own hands. They have shown they can play with the best and have a strike duo of Angelo Cannonier and Jamie Smith that could surprisingly save them from relegation. It will take a major effort to survive relegation. The question they need to ask themselves is how bad do they want it.

Personally, it is hard to pick at the top but I have to admit I really like Dandy Town and Boulevard. These two teams face off in the first game of the second half and whoever wins this game will be my pick to win the title.

Unfortunately, I can't see Parish playing consistently enough to avoid the drop but who will join them is the big question.

Devonshire Colts are my pick for the drop but if they can pull off a victory against Somerset on January 17, they can go a long way towards avoiding relegation, thus putting Somerset's survival chances in jeopardy.

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My Premier team for the first half of the season:

Jason Williams (NV), Omar Shakir (PHC), Kofi Dill (NV), Blenn Bean (PHC), Ijahmon Mallory (DC), Nahki Wells (DT), Akino Grant (SE), Troy Tucker ( SE), Sammy DeGraff (NV), Raymond Beach (DT), Angelo Simmons (BB).